


Reservations (Hotel and Otherwise)

by cypress_tree



Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: Established Relationship, M/M, Road Trips
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-03
Updated: 2019-01-03
Packaged: 2019-10-03 06:29:45
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,164
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17278823
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cypress_tree/pseuds/cypress_tree
Summary: Sonny and Rafael take a road trip to Miami to visit Rafael's family.  It's four days of five-hour driving.  That's a lot of time to think.





	Reservations (Hotel and Otherwise)

At first, Sonny doesn’t realize he’s being invited. He nods at Rafael and starts making plans in his head—things that can keep him busy while Rafael is away. He could stay in Staten Island for a weekend, as long as nothing comes up at work. His parents would appreciate a visit, and his sisters—

“I’d like it if you came with me.”

Sonny breaks out of his thought process. “Wait, you want me to meet your family?”

“Well, you’ve already met my mother.” Rafael is deflecting the question, but Sonny lets it slide. “If you don’t want to—”

“No, I want to!” Rafael raises an eyebrow, and Sonny nods rapidly to reassure him. “I do want to, I just—I mean, I’m surprised that you asked. Last time you went to Miami, you went alone.”

Rafael looks around the room. He always breaks eye contact when they start talking about their relationship.

“I think we’re ready,” he says. He looks back at Sonny. “Don’t you?”

“Yeah.” Sonny smiles and takes his hand. “‘Course I do.” Rafael’s shoulders relax. “One question though: can we make it a road trip?”

 

\---

 

**11:00am**  
**August 6**

Driving down the coast is something Sonny has always wanted to do, and he knew that he could get Rafael to agree to it if he just laid out his points and gave Rafael his sweetest smile. He was right. This _doesn't_ work the day of the trip, when Sonny uses the same technique to try to convince Rafael that they should rent a convertible from the rental agency’s “Sport Collection.”

“Come on,” he coos. “Imagine driving down the highway with the wind in your hair. All the other drivers jealous of your nice car and your hot boyfriend.”

Rafael takes one look at the rental rate and laughs out loud. Instead, they accept an extremely boring yet practical four-year old Toyota. Sonny passes his driver’s license to the agent and gets started filling out paperwork.

“When was the last time you drove?” Rafael asks, once the agent steps away.

“Not that long ago! Remember when we stayed with my parents for the weekend? I drove you to the beach.”

“Hmm.” Rafael’s gaze wanders around the room. Sonny skims the long list of rules and legal information. “Oh, look,” Rafael says, reading over his shoulder. “Just like you.” He points to the car’s color, which is listed as “Super White.” Sonny gives him a shove.

The car is boring, but it’s in good shape, it’s clean, and it has a high safety rating. Sonny adjusts the mirrors and moves the seat back a bit.

“You ready?” he asks, excited. Rafael unhooks his sunglasses from the neckline of his shirt and puts them on. He turns to Sonny and grins.

“Let’s go.”

 

\---

 

**1:00pm**  
**August 6**

 

The drive to Miami is about 20 hours long. They planned to make the trip over four days, doing five hours of driving per day. They could have done it quicker, but Rafael doesn’t have a driver’s license, so Sonny is the only one driving. Five hours per day shouldn’t be too bad, and allows them to be flexible if they need to be.

The goal today is to get to D.C. If all goes well, they should arrive somewhere between 4:00 and 5:00. Of course, that’s all dependant on traffic, and how many stops they make along the way.

“I’m hungry,” Rafael says, two hours in. “Do you want to stop for lunch?”

“Sure,” says Sonny. “Fast food?”

Rafael gives a noncommittal “ehh” then takes out his phone and opens Yelp.

“We shouldn’t dine in,” Sonny says. “It’ll mess with our schedule.”

“We just started driving, there’s plenty of time.”

“Let’s do something quick for lunch, and then you can Yelp all you want once we’re in D.C.”

Rafael puts down his phone. “ _Yelp_ isn’t a verb.”

It’s not long before they see a sign for a rest stop advertising a McDonald’s, a Popeye’s, and a Starbucks. Sonny swears he can hear Rafael sigh with relief. It must be the Starbucks. He pulls off the highway and finds a shady parking spot.

“God, I can’t wait to stand up,” he says.

Sonny gets out of the car and stretches his arms up over his head. He hears a few joints crack and his muscles start to loosen. He looks over at Rafael, who’s rolling his shoulders and stretching his neck from side to side. He’s still wearing his aviators, and he hasn’t shaved since yesterday, so he has a bit of scruff around his face. His graying hair is mussed. He looks so well put-together in his short-sleeved button-down and perfectly-pressed chinos.

“We getting lunch or are you going to stare at me all day?” Rafael asks.

Sonny blinks out of his trance and locks the car with a click of a button.

 

\---

 

The three restaurants share a large seating area with blessedly cool air conditioning. Sonny and Rafael get sandwiches at Starbucks, then sit down to eat.

“We’re making good time,” Sonny says, around a mouthful of Chicken Caprese.

Rafael shakes his head. “You need to stop obsessing over timing.”

“One of us has to.”

“We’re on vacation. Neither of us has to.”

Sonny shrugs. He takes a sip of coffee and gazes idly around the room.

“So tell me who’s gonna be there,” he says. “In Miami.”

Rafael lifts a finger and strokes Sonny’s hand where it lies across from his own on the table.

“We’ll be staying with my mom’s oldest sister, Gabriela and her husband. They have three kids, all a little older than me. We’ll only see two of them, though. Diego moved to L.A. after college. My aunt Elena will be there with her boyfriend. They’re not married, but they’ve been together for about ten years now. She has two kids, both from her ex-husband. One’s my age, the other’s a little younger.”

Sonny can’t keep up. He purses his lips and listens politely.

“And that’s not even mentioning the grandchildren.” Rafael flashes a smile. “Don’t worry though; my mom will be there, you know her.”

“Yeah.”

Rafael laughs. “Oh, come on. I’ve been to two of your big family get-togethers. It’s your turn to be overwhelmed.”

“I just never realized your family was so big.”

Rafael’s smile fades a bit. He shrugs. “My dad’s family was from New York. He wanted my mom to move up there with him. When my grandmother realized that my mother was struggling, she moved too, to be closer, and to help raise me. They’re the only family I have in New York. _Had._ ”

Sonny squeezes Rafael’s hand. He knows Rafael still misses Catalina. Last December, Rafael took Sonny to her gravesite on the anniversary of her death. Sonny had held Rafael’s hand and placed flowers against her headstone. Rafael told him “she would have loved you” and Sonny silently prayed, promising Catalina that he would never hurt her grandson.

“Anyway,” Rafael says, changing the subject. “You ready to to go? I’m going to run to the restroom.”

“Just gonna finish these chips.”

Rafael disappears, and Sonny finishes his chips and takes a long sip of water. He jumps a bit when Rafael collapses back into the seat across from him.

“I am _not_ using that restroom.” Rafael says with a frown.

Sonny blinks. “What?”

“It was disgusting! They should make more of an effort to keep them clean—they know the restrooms are going to be used frequently. This place is right off a major highway!”

“Uh, okay.” Rafael glares towards the restroom door. “So what are you going to do, then?”

“I’ll go at the next one.”

“What makes you think the next one is going to be any better?”

Rafael doesn’t answer. His eyes scan the room, then stop. His face brightens.

“There’s a staff-only restroom,” he says.

“And how are you going to get access to the staff-only restroom?”

Rafael glances over at the barista who served them—a scrawny twig of a kid who must be in his early 30’s. He puts his sunglasses back on and smiles at Sonny with full charm.

“Watch me,” he says.

Sonny knows what Rafael is going to do even before he does it. He watches, amused, as Rafael approaches the counter with a confident saunter and gives the barista a smarmy grin. Sonny can practically see the man blushing from here. He smiles shyly at Rafael, who leans in closer than is really necessary to order a coffee. Sonny can’t hear what they’re saying, but it must be _hilarious_ , because Rafael gives a cute little laugh, and the barista chuckles nervously with hearts in his eyes. Sonny shakes his head.

“You’re lucky I’m not the jealous type,” he mutters to himself.

Rafael pays for his order and slips a bill into the tip jar. He exchanges a few more words with the barista, who glances at his coworker before motioning Rafael behind a swinging wooden gate and pointing towards the clearly-marked staff-only restroom. Sonny rolls his eyes.

When Rafael comes back, he’s sipping triumphantly at a Frappuccino, lips curled into a smile around the straw.

“You’re an asshole,” Sonny says, standing up. Rafael pulls him in close and kisses him.

 

\---

 

**2:47pm**  
**August 6**

 

They had decided before the trip that they would take turns choosing what to listen to on Spotify. It’s Rafael’s turn right now, and they’re in the middle of the Broadway cast recording that he’s currently obsessed with. The thing is, Sonny genuinely can’t tell if Rafael is asleep or not behind his sunglasses. He hasn’t moved in a while, and he seems to be breathing deeply. Sonny sneaks his hand towards the phone on the dashboard.

“Don’t you dare,” Rafael says.

Sonny’s hand snaps back to the steering wheel.

 

\---

 

**6:15pm**  
**August 6**

 

They make it to Washington D.C. just a little later than expected. By the time they’ve found their hotel, checked in, and rested enough to gain the energy to go back out again, both Sonny and Rafael are starving.

Rafael finds a busy Indian restaurant near their hotel in Dupont Circle where they share one entree and three kinds of chaat.

“So what are we doing tonight?” he asks. “The sun is still up. D.C. has plenty to offer after hours.”

Sonny shrugs, wiping fingers sticky with chutney on the edge of his napkin. “Didn’t you say you were interested in some of the monuments?”

“ _You_ said that, because you wanted to take pictures with that fancy camera of yours.”

Sonny grins. “If we can hit a couple by eight, I’ll be able to take some great sunset shots.”

They see three monuments by eight, and Sonny is very satisfied with the pictures he takes. The sunset is gorgeous—deep orange fading into lilac, with wisps of grey-purple clouds scattered lazily overhead. Sonny takes dozens of pictures of it, then a dozen more sneaky shots of Rafael when Rafael isn’t paying attention—or is at least _pretending_ not to.

After the monuments, and a slow walk along the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, they grab drinks at a rooftop bar and and look out over the city before heading back to their hotel room.

“I can’t believe how much we got done today,” Sonny says. He strips down to his boxers and climbs into bed. “I’m gonna sleep so good tonight.” He hears the bathroom light flick off, then the bed dips down beside him.

“Not so fast,” Rafael murmurs. Sonny opens his eyes to see Rafael slide in beside him, propping himself up on one elbow and leaning in for a kiss. “Don’t you want to have sex?” he asks.

Sonny laughs at Rafael’s bluntness, but it soon morphs into a groan. “Aww, babe. I’m so fuckin’ tired.”

“Tired? We sat in a car for five hours.”

“Yeah, and I was the one doing all the work while you napped in the passenger seat!”

Rafael sighs dramatically and flops onto his back. He’s quiet for a moment, then asks,

“What if I give you a blowjob? That requires no work on your end.”

“Then how are _you_ gonna get off?”

“I’ll get myself off.”

“If you’re just going to get yourself off then why bother giving me a blowjob?”

“Have you considered that maybe I _like_ giving you blowjobs?”

Sonny laughs. “You’re a piece of work.” He rolls onto his side and wraps an arm around Rafael’s waist, pulling him closer. “Tomorrow morning,” he says, closing his eyes. “Best way to start the day.”

“We can’t spend too long in bed. We’re touring the Supreme Court building tomorrow, remember?”

“I remember. But first: orgasms.”

Rafael chuckles. He lifts Sonny’s arm and rolls over so they’re spooning. Sonny presses his face to Rafael’s nape, kissing his skin and inhaling the scent of his shampoo.

“Love you,” he says softly. He hears Rafael return the words just before drifting off to sleep.

 

\---

 

**8:30am**  
**August 7**

 

Sonny keeps his promise from the night before. There’s something very satisfying about having sex in a clean, soft hotel bed, surrounded by bright white sheets as sunlight streams in through the windows. Rafael looks fucking gorgeous beneath him, and afterwards, when they’re both spent and lying naked beside each other, Rafael dozes on Sonny’s shoulder, and Sonny’s not sure he’s ever been as happy as this.

They have breakfast at the hotel restaurant, then check out, leaving the rental car in the parking lot and taking public transportation to the Supreme Court building. Sonny makes Rafael wait while he takes a few pictures, then uses his phone to take a selfie of them both, which he immediately sends to his family group text, and everyone in SVU.

“I’m limiting you on the number of selfies you send,” Rafael grumbles. “That’s _one_ , and don’t think I’m not keeping track.”

Sonny gives a half-hearted “uh huh.”

They take a tour of the Supreme Court, then mill around looking at exhibits and talking about law, as if they don't get enough of that in their everyday lives at work. Rafael takes Sonny's hand and entwines their fingers. Sonny hopes that everyone notices. He's so proud to have this brilliant, beautiful man as his partner.

"We should probably get going," Rafael says, as they walk down a hallway they've already walked through twice before. "You wanted to hit the road before noon, right?"

Sonny nods. "Yeah." He squeezes Rafael's hand, then pulls him in for a kiss.

"What was that for?" Rafael asks.

Sonny shrugs. "You're cute. And now we can say we kissed in the highest court in the land."

Rafael shakes his head. There's a light blush on his cheeks.

 

\---

 

**12:00pm**  
**August 7**

 

Today's goal is to make it to Raleigh, North Carolina. It's not as sunny as yesterday, but the weather is still nice, and the temperature is rising as they get farther south. Sonny is getting sick of driving already, so Rafael tries to distract him.

"You want me to read aloud?" he asks, leaning back in his seat with a book in his hands and his glasses perched on his nose.

"Depends," Sonny says. "What are you reading?"

"Mmm...I don't want to admit it out loud. Maybe I can just start reading and if you guess, you can keep it to yourself?"

Sonny peeks over at the cover of the book, which Rafael makes no attempt to hide. He laughs.

"You already told me John Grisham was your guilty pleasure," he says. "You don't need to hide it."

"That's just a testament to much I trust you," Rafael sighs. "I have a Vonnegut novel to read when my family's around."

Sonny rolls his eyes. Rafael starts reading, which does make the time pass by a little quicker. The story is exciting, and Rafael reads with a theatricality of an actor. He stops now and then for a drink of water, but when his voice starts getting rough, Sonny tells him to stop.

"You're gonna get a sore throat," he says.

Rafael puts away his book and is quiet for a moment, watching the world go by out the window. Sonny pays attention to the road, pointing out license plates from faraway states and bumper stickers with mildly amusing jokes.

“Hey,” he says, the word leaving his mouth before he’s even properly thought about it. “You wanna play I Spy?”

Rafael turns to him with an extremely judgemental look. “I thought we were sharing a companionable silence.”

“I’m getting bored, you have to keep me awake.” Sonny takes Rafael’s lack of response as a surrender. “Okay, I’ll go first. I spy, with my little eye....” Rafael snorts. “Something white.”

“Is it that car over there?”

“Nope.”

“The Fed-Ex truck?”

“Nope.”

Rafael groans quietly. He rattles off a list of everything white that’s within the confines of the car—an empty coffee cup, a crumpled napkin, one of the lights on the dashboard, which Sonny thinks is a very clever guess. But he gets nowhere near the real answer, and since the real answer is about to take this next exit, Sonny gives up for him.

“Okay, you were half-right when you said the Fed-Ex truck,” he says, pointing as the truck disappears down the road. “It’s the white space in the Fed-Ex logo. You know, the little arrow?”

“What? How would I have gotten that?”

“Well you guessed the truck!” Sonny smirks. “Your turn now, pick something.”

Rafael glances out the window. “Something green.”

“You didn’t say ‘I spy.’”

“And I’m not going to.”

Sonny sighs. “Raf, if it’s a tree—”

“It’s not a tree.”

“The grass?”

“It’s a very specific blade of grass, and you have to guess which one.”

“You are such a grumpy old man.”

Rafael chuckles. “I have a game we can play,” he says. Sonny looks over at him. There’s a devilish glint in his eye. “It’s called The Quiet Game.”

“Oh shut up, I’m not even talking that much.”

“Oh, so you know the rules. Perfect. Are you ready?”

“You’re a jerk.”

“First one to speak loses, starting _now_.”

Sonny rolls his eyes. He expects Rafael to put his seat back and take a nap, but he doesn’t. He just sits quietly, watching the road. Sonny’s mind starts to wander. A car passes by, and there’s a cute dog in the passenger seat. Normally, Sonny would point it out, but he knows that if he’s the first one to break the silence, he’ll never heard the end of it. Rafael looks at him as if he knows exactly what Sonny is thinking.

Ten whole minutes of silence later, Sonny is getting restless. He starts making little huffy noises to express his displeasure. Rafael has been staring at him for way too long. Is he trying to get Sonny to crack? Sonny looks over at him, but Rafael just smiles.

_What?_ Sonny mouths.

Rafael’s smile gets wider. He puts a hand on Sonny’s knee and squeezes. He leaves it there, which makes Sonny a little suspicious, then he slides it up a few inches.

“Mmmm....?” Sonny hums. Rafael raises his eyebrows, but doesn’t say anything. Humming doesn’t count as speaking, therefore no rules were broken. Rafael’s fingers slide a little farther up.

Sonny stares determinedly at the road. A sign up ahead announces that a rest stop is coming up in a couple of miles. Rafael rubs at Sonny’s inseam with his pinkie and ring finger. He slides his hand right up to Sonny’s crotch and nudges at his soft but progressively more interested dick.

Sonny lets out a slow breath. He’s pretty sure this counts as cheating. The right lane opens up, and Sonny moves into it, anticipating that people will want to pass him.

Rafael cups Sonny with his entire palm. Sonny can feel the warmth of his skin even through the thick fabric of his jeans. He twitches against Rafael’s hand, getting hard when he knows he shouldn’t—maybe _because_ he knows that he shouldn’t. He should be focusing on driving.

Rafael leans in close, squeezing him with one hand and kissing the shell of Sonny’s ear. Sonny’s eyes slip closed, but fly open again once he realizes what he’s doing.

“Okay,” he says. “Okay, I give up—I’m gonna crash the car if you keep doing this.”

“I knew you wouldn’t make it,” Rafael murmurs. He moves back into his seat and takes his hand away, which makes Sonny whimper just a bit.

“You’re a cheater!” he says, flipping on the turn signal and entering the rest stop. “That was a dirty trick you pulled!”

“Excuse me? That wasn’t cheating. I was silent the entire time, and that’s the only rule of The Quiet Game.”

“Fuck you.”

Sonny swerves a little messily into a parking spot, then unbuckles his seatbelt. Rafael pulls him in by his collar and meets him halfway.

 

\---

 

**5:45pm**  
**August 7th**

 

They didn’t reserve a room in Raleigh, so they find an upscale chain hotel within walking distance to the downtown area. Sonny grabs a handful of tourism brochures in the lobby and flops onto the bed once they get to their room.

“God,” he groans. “I gotta move my legs. You wanna walk around downtown?”

“Mmm, I suppose,” says Rafael. He wanders around, looking out the window, checking out the bathroom, and glancing at the room service menu before finally sitting down on the edge of the bed. He picks up a brochure and flips through it. “All these places are probably closed by now,” he says.

Sonny picks up another brochure. It’s a shopping guide with a full map of all the boutiques in and around downtown Raleigh. He hands it to Rafael. “The shops won’t be.”

Rafael looks at the brochure with one raised eyebrow. “You hate shopping.”

“But _you_ love it. And I have to stretch my legs.” Sonny sits up and gives Rafael a peck on the cheek. “I need new dress socks,” he says. “Help me pick out some good ones.”

 

\---

 

They spend the night going from shop to shop, chasing whatever catches Rafael’s eye. Sonny couldn’t care less what kind of socks he gets, but he watches with affection as Rafael goes on about fabrics and color schemes. When Rafael comes to him with a spread of four different sock options, Sonny just smiles and kisses him softly.

“I’ll get whichever ones are your favorite,” he says.

Rafael buys him all four and calls it a gift.

After a couple of hours of shopping, they end up at a bookstore cafe, where they sip coffee—decaf, at Sonny’s insistence—and talk about dinner.

“I’m not leaving the South without eating barbecue,” Sonny says. “You chose the restaurant last night, and now it’s my turn.”

“I can’t go for barbecue like this! It’s messy, I’ll get stains all over my shirt.”

“Well then it’s a good thing I was forward thinking.” Sonny gives his most mischievous smirk. He pulls his shopping bag from under the table and reaches inside to reveal the funniest t-shirt he could find at the tourist trap.

“No.” Rafael says.

Sonny bursts out laughing. “Oh come on! It’ll keep your clothes nice and clean.”

“Did you honestly think I would wear that out in public? How much did you pay for it?”

“It was on sale for ten bucks. Come on, humor me! Would you rather wear this or one of those plastic bibs they give you at the restaurant?”

“A bib, no question!”

“You’re such a party pooper. If you’re not gonna wear it, then I will.”

“So be it.”

 

\---

 

Half an hour later, they’re sitting at a booth in a busy barbecue restaurant, and Sonny is proudly wearing a shirt emblazoned with the words “I ♥ Dix.”

“It’s a park,” he’d said, trying to get Rafael to change his mind. “Dorothea Dix Park, in Raleigh!”

Rafael hadn’t budged.

When Sonny’s plate arrives, he has no regrets about his choice of restaurant. The pulled pork is steaming hot, piled high on his dish. He has a side of mac and cheese, looking creamy and smooth, and three hush puppies fried to golden-brown perfection. The cole slaw looks like a nutritional afterthought, but seeing as he’s on vacation, Sonny can’t find it in him to care about nutrition.

He sends a picture of his meal to Amanda, who responds with _I hate you,_ then he sneaks a picture of Rafael in a bib, wiping his fingers daintily with a napkin. Amanda replies to that one with the “rolling my eyes” emoji.

_Typical Floridian,_ she says.

 

\---

 

Their plans for the rest of the night aren’t much more complicated than showering, ordering dessert, and lying in bed watching TV. Sonny tries to liven things up by suggesting they shower together, but they get barely two minutes into a mutual handjob before they both decide they aren’t feeling it. They wash each other’s hair and scrub each other’s backs, then get out of the shower and immediately put on the white fluffy bathrobes provided by the hotel.

“I could live like this,” Rafael says later, reclining against three pillows and licking cheesecake off the curve of a spoon.

Sonny shrugs. “We could travel more often,” he says. “We could do like, one big summer trip per year.”

Rafael hums. “Planning our future?”

“Well....” Sonny lets the word hang. He does think about the future sometimes. Maybe a lot of the time. Rafael’s attention shifts back to the movie they’re watching, and Sonny wraps an arm around his shoulders, pulling him close.

 

\---

 

**11:50am**  
**August 8th**

 

They’re on the road the next morning just before noon. There’s rain heading up the coast, and the sky is already dull and grey. It puts both of them in a quiet, introspective mood.

They’ll arrive in Miami tomorrow. Sonny is just starting to get nervous. It’s not that he’s afraid of meeting Rafael’s family—he’s already met Lucia, and she’s really the only one whose opinion matters—but he still wants to make a good impression on everyone else. Sonny has known for a while now that this is it—that he wants to be with Rafael for the rest of his life. This could be the only time he sees Rafael’s family before—

_Before we get married._

Sonny’s heart rate spikes, and he takes a deep breath. This isn’t the first time he’s thought about it, but the other times, it wasn’t so serious. It wasn’t so immediate. He gets the sudden urge to veer off the highway and find the nearest jewelry store. Make it happen _now._

“Swear to God,” Rafael mutters. “If I see one more ‘South of the Border’ billboard, I’m going to fucking scream.”

Sonny cringes at the enormous, racist billboard passing on the right.

“It’s coming up soon,” he says. “Once we pass it, we won’t see them anymore.”

Rafael huffs and takes his book and reading glasses out of his tote bag.

They haven’t really talked about marriage. When they moved in together a year ago, they danced around the topic. They talked about how they both saw their relationship as something long-term, but they didn’t really talk about the implication of that.

Sonny’s never had a relationship go this far. When he was fresh out of the academy, he moved in with his then-girlfriend, but it only lasted three months before she got fed up with him working all the time and moved back out. There was no one serious after that. Not until Rafael.

Sonny glances over at Rafael, reading quietly in the passenger seat. He’s holding his book in his lap, bent over it in a way that can’t possibly be comfortable. His brow is furrowed, his glasses sliding down his nose. He pushes them back up before they fall, and blinks a couple times. His eyes are soft. There are little crow’s feet at the corners. Sonny loves him. Feels full with it.

He looks back at the road. Rafael’s playlist ends, which means it’s Sonny’s turn to pick the music.

“If you’re going to choose 90’s alternative again, can it at least be something a little quieter?” Rafael asks.

Sonny smiles. “Tell you what. I’ll skip my turn, and you can pick another album. Or playlist, whatever.”

“Why?”

“Just because.”

Rafael stares at him suspiciously, but finally shakes his head and accepts the offer.

 

\---

 

**2:00pm**  
**August 8th**

 

They hit traffic about two hours in. Rafael brings up Google Maps on his phone and finds that the highway is colored red for miles.

“What the hell?” Sonny groans. “Was there an accident or something?”

Rafael shrugs. “Doesn’t say.” He stretches his neck from side to side. “Think we’re gonna be here for a while, though.”

Sonny sighs. They’re not going _too_ slow yet—only about ten under—but they can see pretty far in the distance, and they’re heading straight for bumper-to-bumper traffic. The cars around him keep swapping lanes, trying to get into the fastest one, but there’s no point to it. There’s no way to avoid what’s coming.

“I hate traffic,” Sonny mutters. “This is why I don’t drive in Manhattan.”

Rafael reaches over and pats him on the leg.

The line of cars stretches on for what feels like forever. They creep past a sign advertising restaurants off the next exit, and decide to stop for lunch and wait out the traffic. Unfortunately, they aren’t the only ones to have this idea.

“I can’t believe this guy won’t let me into his lane,” Sonny says. “It’s not like he’s going anywhere!”

“I’m glaring at him for you. He’s pretending not to see me.”

“He’s just pissed because everyone’s trying to get to the exit.” Sonny can see the off-ramp in the distance. Several cars are trying hard to make their way towards it. “God, what an asshole.” When the car passes, they see a dozen pro-gun bumper stickers slapped all over the back.

Rafael snorts. “Good thing I didn’t flip him off.”

They eventually make it into the right lane, and crawl along in stop-and-go traffic all the way to the exit. Sonny pulls into a small local cafe, and for a moment they just sit in the car, allowing themselves to breathe.

Sonny groans. “I need a massage,” he says. “My shoulders are so tight—”

“Come here.” Rafael waves him closer, and Sonny unbuckles his seat belt and turns around. “I meant from a professional,” he says. “But I’m not gonna turn you down.”

Rafael chuckles softly. He rubs Sonny’s shoulders and the base of his neck. His thumbs dig into Sonny’s muscles, releasing the stress of the last three hours of driving.

“You’re too good to me,” Sonny sighs. He feels Rafael kiss him, then pat him on the back.

“Alright,” Rafael says. “Let’s go get something to eat.”

 

\---

 

The cafe is packed, the baristas looking frantic and tired. They both order sandwiches and find an empty table by the window where they can sit down and stare out at the road.

“How long do you think we should wait?” Rafael asks.

Sonny shrugs. “No idea. Half-hour maybe?”

When they finish their sandwiches, Rafael gets up to buy himself a coffee. Sonny hears someone behind him talking about the traffic.

“Hey,” he says, leaning back to catch the man’s attention. “Sorry, I don’t mean to be nosy, but do you know what’s going on? Was there a collision or something?”

“Two of ‘em,” the man says, sipping his drink. “That’s what I heard, anyway. Big truck involved, got everyone down to one lane up ahead.”

“Shit. Do they know when the traffic will clear?”

“Estimate’s an hour, but that’s wishful thinkin’ if you ask me.”

“Great.”

Rafael comes back to the table, and the man looks up at him. His eyes flicker between Rafael and Sonny.

“You guys come down from the city?” he asks.

“Yeah, New York,” Sonny says.

“Hmm.” The man doesn’t say anything in response, just turns away.

“What’s up?” Rafael asks, a little quietly.

“Nothing, just talking about the traffic. I guess there were a couple collisions up ahead. The police expect it to be cleared up in an hour, but that’s uh—under debate.”

Rafael nods. He sips his coffee and looks around the room. “What are we going to do while we wait?”

 

\---

 

**4:30pm**  
**August 8th**

 

They spend an hour in the cafe, snacking on pastries and watching people come and go. Sonny fiddles with his phone, complaining about the traffic in his family group text. He doesn’t get much sympathy from his sisters, but his mother tells him to keep everyone updated. He checks his work email even though he swore he wouldn’t, then plays a couple rounds of some colorful strategy game that Fin got him hooked on. When he finds himself bored, he nudges Rafael’s leg underneath the table.

“Let’s get some sandwiches to go,” he says. “We can stick them in the cooler and eat dinner in the car if we have to.”

They pick up some sandwiches and a couple of bottled drinks, then head back to the car. They’re just buckling their seat belts when it starts to rain.

“Well shit,” Sonny says. “This isn’t going to help.”

The highway traffic isn’t quite as bad as it was before—everyone’s moving, at least, but they’re moving very slowly. Rafael leans back in his seat and closes his eyes. Sonny feels a little jealous.

They eventually pass the scene of the accident. The cars have been taken away, but there’s still a few police vehicles, and workers sweeping debris away from the street. The traffic clears up afterward, and Sonny is happy to be going the speed limit again. They still have a ways to go before they cross the border into Florida.

“How far behind are we?” Rafael mumbles, slowly sitting upright as he wakes from his nap.

Sonny shrugs. “Think we were delayed a few hours, counting the time we spent at the cafe.”

Rafael groans. It’s late and it’s dark, and Sonny feels the same way. His legs are cramped, his back is starting to ache again, and his butt hurts from sitting for so long. Rafael stares out the window, his arm resting against the door as his fingers worry at a hangnail.

“Sorry, but I gotta take another break,” Sonny says.

Rafael nods absently.

“Next rest stop, I’m gonna pull over.”

“How far are we from Jacksonville?”

“Mmm....’bout another hour and a half.”

“Should we just call it a day? Find a hotel at the next exit?”

Sonny purses his lips. He’s not sure there is an exit coming up anytime soon. Not one that would lead them to a hotel, at any rate.

“I’ll check the map once we pull over,” he says.

It’s a full forty-five minutes before they get to a rest stop. Sonny feels about ready to scream. The place is empty save for a few trucks pulled over to the side. A small public bathroom sits to the front of the lot, the building dingy and tired-looking. The light over the men’s room is flickering, and the vending machine has a large “out of order” sign across the glass.

“Bathroom,” Rafael mutters, walking towards it. Sonny watches him disappear, then takes out his phone and looks down at the map. The highway looks pretty empty, and the next exit doesn’t lead to much other than a small residential district. Sonny feels his heart sink. He groans softly, dreading the amount of driving he’ll have to do to get them back to some semblance of a city.

“We still have a ways to go,” he says out loud, hearing Rafael’s footsteps coming out of the bathroom. “The next exit doesn’t—” he cuts himself off when he looks up and sees that the footsteps don’t belong to Rafael, but to a truck driver who heads in the opposite direction. Rafael comes out a moment later.

“Let’s go,” he says, walking past Sonny towards the car.

Sonny looks back at the truck driver and gets an idea.

“Hold up, why don’t we sleep here?” he asks.

“Don’t be an idiot.”

“No, I’m serious! Truck drivers do it! I mean, they also have beds in their trucks, but if we put the car seats back, it might not be so bad. I don’t know, I just really don’t wanna—”

“Are you getting in the car or not?” Rafael flings open the car door and turns to glare at Sonny.

“Why—you don’t have to be such an asshole about it, will you listen to me for a second?”

“I’m not sleeping in a car, Sonny, cars weren’t meant to be slept in.”

“Maybe just for a couple hours? I’m tired, Raf, I can’t—”

Rafael gets in the car and slams the door shut. Sonny feels his temper rising. He stalks to the other side and opens the door, looking down at Rafael and refusing to get inside.

“What the hell is your problem?”

Rafael turns to him and for a moment, Sonny is taken aback. Rafael looks desperate, and there’s the slightest hint of real fear in his eyes.

“Maybe it’s a good idea to you,” Rafael says. “Maybe it’s no big deal to you, because you’re white and you look straight and you’re confident doing whatever you fucking please. Sonny, I’m a Latino gay man wearing a pink polo shirt and a pocket square I picked up in Greenwich Village. I’m a walking fucking target and I shouldn’t have to explain to you why I don’t feel safe sleeping in a car at a fucking truck stop in _rural Georgia_ after dark. Now can we _please_ go somewhere else?”

Sonny feels like he’s been kicked in the gut. “Yeah,” he murmurs, sinking down into his seat. “Yeah, I’m sorry.” He closes the door and locks the car, but doesn’t put the key in the ignition. Rafael is facing away from him. “Are you alright?” Sonny asks. “Did something happen in there?”

For a long moment, Rafael is silent. Finally, he shakes his head.

“I’m fine,” he says, quietly. “He didn’t do anything. He just gave me a look. Stood too close.”

Sonny feels a flare of anger and guilt. He should have paid closer attention to Rafael. He shouldn’t have been so caught up in his own concerns that he failed to notice that Rafael was uncomfortable. He reaches over and takes Rafael’s hand.

“What can I do for you, babe?” he asks, softly.

Rafael takes a deep breath. “Take me to a hotel.”

“Yeah. ‘Course.” Sonny gives his hand a squeeze. He turns on the car and drives back out onto the highway.

 

\---

 

**10:00pm**  
**August 8th**

The car ride is quiet, save for Spotify, which Sonny sets to Rafael’s “evening classical” playlist. It’s soft and soothing, and carries them the hour and thirty minutes all the way to Jacksonville. Sonny doesn’t waste time shopping around for a place to stay. He points to the first hotel they come across that looks well-lit, friendly, and safe.

“This okay?” he asks. Rafael answers with a quiet “yeah.”

They get a room up on the third floor and carry their bags into the elevator. Once the doors close, Rafael moves closer and tilts his head to rest it on Sonny’s shoulder. Sonny kisses his hair.

Their room is at the end of the hallway. They open the door and step inside.

“I shouldn’t have snapped at you,” Rafael says, as soon as the door clicks closed.

“No—Raf, it’s okay. I shouldn’t have been so insistent.”

“I acted like an asshole.”

“Only because you were scared, and I wouldn’t listen to you.”

“I wasn’t _scared_ —”

“It’s okay to be scared,” Sonny says. “It’s human.” Rafael purses his lips and Sonny opens his arms. “Come ‘ere,” he says. Rafael goes to him and squeezes him tightly.

“I’m just very aware of what I look like,” Rafael says. “I’m aware of what _we_ look like. In New York it’s fine. I’m comfortable there, I know the city and the people. But take me out of the city—someplace unfamiliar, and I get nervous.”

Sonny runs his hand gently over Rafael’s back.

“I shouldn’t have taken it out on you,” Rafael says.

“It’s okay. I should have paid attention to you.  If I had, I would have been able to tell something was wrong. I think we were both frustrated from being in the car for so long. It made us kinda irritable.”

“I’m always irritable.”

“Well it made you _more_ irritable.”

Rafael huffs against Sonny’s neck. Sonny rocks him gently, like they’re dancing.

“Hey,” he murmurs, after a moment. “I love you.”

“I know. I love you, too.”

Sonny pulls back and kisses Rafael, first on his temple, then on his cheek, then Rafael tilts his head up and Sonny kisses him on the mouth. One kiss turns into two, turns into three. Sonny cups Rafael’s face in his hand and smiles against his lips.

“Hey,” he whispers, eyes still closed. “You wanna have make-up sex?”

Rafael laughs. “We didn’t have a fight.”

“We _kind of_ had a fight!”

“We’ve had worse fights.”

“Mmm....yeah. But you know what? I’m not forgiving you for saying I look straight.”

Rafael laughs louder this time. “Oh, you’re not straight?” he teases. “I don’t know....I think you’ll have to prove it to me.”

Sonny grins. He pushes Rafael onto the bed and straddles his lap. Rafael’s hands immediately go to Sonny’s hips. Sonny cups one hand against Rafael’s throat, then dips down into the open neck of his shirt.

“Would a straight man do this?” he asks, leaning in to kiss Rafael’s neck.

“Mmm....” Rafael hums. “What else have you got?” He pulls himself out from between Sonny’s legs and moves backwards, yanking the bed sheets from their primly-tucked corners and shoving them down. Sonny crawls over them. He grips each of Rafael’s thighs and tugs. Rafael drops onto his back, his breath whooshing out with a soft “oomph.”

“Okay,” he says, looking up at Sonny. His lips are parted, his pupils beginning to dilate. “That’s very convincing.”

Sonny kisses him, caging Rafael between his forearms. He knows what Rafael likes. Rafael likes when Sonny uses his height to his advantage. He likes Sonny’s strength, and knowing that Sonny could overpower him. Rafael’s hands reach up to stroke Sonny’s biceps.

“Think of everything I’ve done to you,” Sonny murmurs. “Would a straight man fuck you ‘til your legs turn to jelly? Would a straight man eat you out until you can’t remember your own name?”

Rafael’s eyelashes flutter as a visible shiver rolls through his body. Sonny sits back up and palms Rafael’s cock, already tenting his pants.

“That was fast,” Sonny says, trying and failing to hide the delight in his voice. “Either I’ve convinced you, or you have a thing for straight men.”

“Oh, shut up.” Rafael tugs at Sonny’s arms, pulling him down on the bed as Sonny laughs. They alternate between short, sweet kisses and longer, slower ones. Sonny kicks off his shoes. Rafael does the same, but instead of letting them tumble off the bed like Sonny, he sits up and places them gently on the floor.

“God, you really are gay,” Sonny sighs. Rafael throws a pillow at him, then turns on the lamp on the nightstand table. He gets up to turn off the overhead lights and walks slowly back to bed, holding Sonny’s eyes.

“You’re so fucking hot,” Sonny says, staring openly.

Rafael smirks. He sits down on the bed, and Sonny sits back up to meet him. He pulls Rafael’s shirt over his head.

“If you throw that on the ground, you’ll be in trouble,” Rafael says.

“Yeah?” Sonny kisses him, then tosses the shirt on the floor. “Punish me.”

Rafael pushes him backwards, and Sonny laughs. He runs a hand through Rafael’s hair as Rafael shoves up his shirt and plants hard, bruising kisses against his chest and stomach.

“You can’t give me hickies!” Sonny says. “We’re gonna be on the beach!”

“See if I care.”

“With your _family._ ”

Rafael sits up with a look of distaste. “Please don’t ruin this for me.”

Sonny laughs again. He gets such a feeling of _delight_ when he’s with Rafael. It makes him feel light as a feather, and also full to the brim. He’s not sure how else to explain it.

“Take this off,” Rafael says, tugging Sonny’s shirt up over his head. Sonny tosses his shirt to the floor and wraps his arms around Rafael’s waist. He loves the delicious friction of their skin. Rafael's warmth. His convex to Sonny’s concave. Rafael runs his free hand along Sonny’s back, then down over his ass.

“You look so good in these jeans,” he mutters.

“I’m glad you think so, but I really wanna take them off right now.”

“Won’t argue with that.”

“ _You?_ Won’t _argue?_ ”

Rafael gives Sonny’s ass a sharp slap before unzipping his fly and pushing the pants down over his hips. The stiff denim fabric drags across Sonny’s erection, causing him to gasp just a little.

“Now you,” Sonny murmurs. He returns the favor, taking off Rafael’s now-wrinkled chinos, and pointedly sitting up to fold them before placing them carefully on the floor.

“Mmm,” Rafael hums, watching. “Nothing sexier than a man who knows how to take care of my clothes.”

“Yeah? You got the hots for your dry cleaner, too?”

“My dry cleaner is a woman. Honestly, you should know this by now.”

Sonny rolls his eyes and kisses the smirk off Rafael’s face. “What do you want?” he asks against Rafael’s mouth. “What can I give you?”

Rafael’s hands tighten against Sonny’s chest. “Fuck me,” he says.

Sonny needs to take a moment to pull himself back. He swallows thickly and nods, their foreheads knocking together gently. Rafael chuckles and pulls his leg out from between Sonny’s own.

“It’s so easy to get you riled up,” he says.

“Easy for _you_.” Sonny gets out of bed and grabs the toiletries bag, where they packed a small, discreet bottle of lube. “Everything you do turns me on.”

“ _Everything?_ ” Rafael asks. “Falling asleep in the passenger seat while we’re stuck in traffic does it for you?”

“Why do you have to take everything I say as a challenge?” Sonny sighs.

“Maybe because you’re so prone to exaggeration.”

Sonny shakes his head. Rafael is lying on his back, legs bent and spread slightly, waiting for him. His hands are neatly folded, resting on his chest. He’s a prissy, pain-in-the-ass, absolute vision.

“I hate you,” Sonny says, fondly.

“I hate you, too.” Rafael reaches for Sonny’s hand. Sonny gives it to him, and Rafael sits up to kiss his knuckles.

Sonny drops the lube on the bed, out of the way, and kisses Rafael slowly, tongue slipping into his mouth, one arm sliding around Rafael’s waist. He feels Rafael melt against him. When he pulls back, Rafael gives a soft sigh.

“Lie back now,” Sonny says.

Rafael arranges himself with a pillow under his hips and his feet flat on the mattress. He’s still wearing boxers, but he doesn’t take them off. Sonny told him a long time ago that he likes to do that part himself. He bends down and kisses the inside of Rafael’s knees. First the left, then the right.

Sonny smoothes his hands up Rafael’s thighs, sliding up each leg of his boxers. His fingers graze coarse hair, his thumbs dipping towards Rafael’s perineum.

“Ah—” Rafael gasps. His hips twitch upwards.

“So sensitive,” Sonny murmurs. He tugs at Rafael’s boxers, lifting them over his hard cock, then down his hips and legs. “Look at you,” he says. “You’re leaking for me.” He takes Rafael’s cock in his hand, giving him a few slow strokes. He loves the feeling of Rafael’s soft skin, a gentle throb just below. Rafael lets out a long breath.

“You like that, huh?” Sonny asks. “You’re practically begging for it.”

Rafael closes his eyes and lifts his hips, fucking into Sonny’s fist.

“Slow down,” Sonny says. “I wanna make this last.” He takes his hand away and leans in, kissing the head of Rafael’s cock, then giving it a soft lick.

“That’s no way to make this last,” Rafael groans.

Sonny smiles. He takes Rafael into his mouth slowly, inch by inch. Precome drips onto his tongue. Sonny can feel the tension of Rafael’s muscles—his strong thighs on either side of Sonny’s body.

“God, you’re good at this,” Rafael sighs.

Sonny’s cheeks heat. He sucks Rafael slowly and tenderly, enough to get him worked up, but not enough to make him reach orgasm. He loosens his jaw and takes Rafael in as far as he can. Rafael gives a choked gasp.

The lube is still on the bed. Sonny pulls off and reaches for it.

“You’ll be the death of me,” Rafael says, watching. He stretches his legs, his toes curling against the tangle of sheets at the end of the bed. Sonny gives him a tap, and he pulls his legs back up, repositioning himself on top of the pillow.

“Lift up a bit,” Sonny murmurs. He pours some lube into his hand, warming it against his skin. He presses one fingertip to Rafael’s entrance.

“Tease,” Rafael mutters.

Sonny pushes inside, and Rafael whimpers. He’s always so tight—so warm. Sonny curses himself for forgetting to take off his underwear before doing this. His dick is pressing against the fabric.

“You could just....keep doing this if you want,” Rafael says. His voice sounds wistful. Sonny chuckles. He pours some more lube onto his hand and slips in a second finger.

Rafael moans. Sonny slides in and out, watching every change of expression on Rafael’s face. His eyebrows are knit, his mouth forming a small “o.”

“Is that good?” Sonny asks.

“Yeah. Yeah.” Rafael reaches down and grabs Sonny’s other hand, squeezing it tightly. “More lube?” he asks. “It doesn’t hurt, I just—I want it messy.”

Sonny does as Rafael asks. His dick is throbbing by now, but he ignores it. His mind is hazy, all his attention on Rafael—on how gorgeous he is like this, how good he must feel. How Sonny can take him even higher.

Sonny slips in a third finger. Rafael doesn’t normally need to be stretched this much, but he seems to be enjoying it. Sonny brushes his prostate, and it’s like an electric current zaps through Rafael’s body.

“Sonny—” he gasps. His legs clamp against Sonny’s sides, then fall open. His eyes are squeezed closed, his back arched against the bed.

Sonny hits that same spot two, three, four more times until Rafael is making little sobbing noises. Then Sonny leans down and takes Rafael’s cock back into his mouth.

“Ffffuck,” Rafael groans. Both his hands grip Sonny’s hair. Sonny loves having his hair pulled. If his dick were being touched right now, he’d probably come on the spot.

Rafael is babbling. Mostly Sonny’s name and swear words and blasphemy. Little gasps of “oh” and “mmm” that Sonny can’t get enough of. He wonders for a moment if they have neighbors on the other side of their hotel room. He quickly decides he doesn’t care.

“I’m gonna come,” Rafael says, breathless. Sonny moans around Rafael’s dick. He fucks faster with his fingers, hitting Rafael’s prostate with every push.

Rafael arches his back and shouts Sonny’s name. Sonny swallows as best he can, but he’s so focused on fucking Rafael through his orgasm that some of Rafael’s release drips out the side of his mouth. Rafael gasps, moaning wordlessly. His hands start to loosen in Sonny’s hair, then drop from his head entirely. He flops down against the mattress.

Sonny crawls up the bed and kisses Rafael on the mouth. Rafael is too tired to kiss back. He just smiles against Sonny’s lips, his hands coming up to touch his chest and sides.

“Can I still fuck you?” Sonny whispers.

“Mmm, yeah.” Rafael’s legs drop open. Sonny kneels up to take off his boxer briefs, but it’s difficult with Rafael constantly reaching down to touch him.

“Hey,” Sonny says, laughing. He swats Rafael’s grabbing hands away, then pulls his hips up a bit. Rafael’s legs lock behind his waist. Sonny’s dick is aching. He pours lube onto himself and it feels so good he’s surprised he has the patience to follow through.

“You ready for me?” he asks. Rafael hums, still smiling. Sonny slides inside, engulfed by Rafael’s still-slick heat. “Fuck, this is gonna be quick,” he says.

Rafael keeps sighing and reaching down towards him. He makes startled little whimpers that drive Sonny crazy. Getting fucked post-orgasm is one of Rafael’s favorite things. One day, Sonny thinks, he wants to fuck Rafael so good that he makes him come a second time.

“Oh God,” Sonny moans. He’s right on the edge. Rafael is still in a blissful haze, murmuring the sweet things that he only ever says when his guard is down completely.

“Beautiful....gorgeous....perfect.”

Sonny gives one final thrust and comes, his vision whiting out, a garbled groan coming from his throat. He sinks down onto his elbows and presses his forehead to Rafael’s chest. Rafael instantly puts his hands on him, stroking Sonny’s neck, his shoulders, his back.

“Fuck,” Sonny says. He feels like he’s been hollowed out. He collapses onto Rafael’s body and laughs against his skin. “That was....really good.”

“Mmm. Agreed.” Rafael runs his fingers through Sonny’s hair as Sonny catches his breath.

They lie like that for a long moment. Sonny starts to get cold, so he reaches down for a sheet and rolls over to Rafael’s side.

“We can’t sleep like this,” Rafael says. “I’m messy.”

“Just for a little bit.” Sonny pulls the sheet over them and Rafael moves closer, curling up against him.

“I can feel you leaking out of me,” he says.

“I don’t know if that’s gross or hot.”

“Little bit of both.” Rafael sighs. “I always feel bad for the people who do laundry in hotels. Tía Elena used to, and she had the worst stories.”

“Wow, please don’t tell me any of them.”

Rafael laughs and wraps an arm around Sonny’s waist. Sonny squeezes his hand. They’ll get up and shower in a bit. Sonny wants to put on pajamas, because the air conditioning is out of control. But for now, this is perfect. Sonny kisses Rafael’s forehead and whispers endearments into his hair. They’re sleepy and sated. Gentle with each other. In love.

 

\---

 

**9:00am**  
**August 9th**

 

Sonny is in a particularly good mood the next morning. Rafael is too, which Sonny can tell because he hums to himself as he gets dressed, and he hasn’t even had his first coffee yet. They dance around each other in the small hotel room, gathering clothes off the floor and throwing out the wrappers from the midnight snacks they grabbed from the vending machine.

They check out of the hotel and peek in at the continental breakfast. Rafael seemed skeptical when they talked about it earlier, but it actually looks better than expected—with hot food—so they decide to stay rather than go to a pricey restaurant.

“How’s the coffee?” Sonny asks, as Rafael takes a sip.

Rafael shrugs. “Not the worst I’ve ever had, but I tend to be more forgiving with my first cup of the day.”

Sonny smiles. He scoops scrambled eggs onto his plate and grabs a couple slices of bacon.

“Sonny?” Rafael calls from the end of the buffet table. “Grab me one of those strawberry jams.”

Sonny grabs two, just in case, and a couple little packs of Nutella to snack on in the car.

“Oh, so _you’re_ Sonny?”

Sonny looks up to find a very knowing look on a man he completely doesn’t recognize. There’s another man beside him, who says “David....” in a very exasperated tone.

“Uh, yeah,” Sonny says. He senses Rafael coming up behind him.

“Nice to meet you! I’m Dave, and this is my husband Elliot. We’re staying in the room to your left.” Dave grins. “ _Right_ on the other side of that wall.”

“Oh my God.” Rafael disappears from his side, and Sonny turns three shades of red.

 

\---

 

Dave is very outgoing. Maybe a little too outgoing, because he gets very excited over meeting another gay couple and suggests that they all have breakfast together. His husband seems a little more grounded.

“You don’t have to,” Elliot says. “Dave forgets about boundaries sometimes.”

They seem nice enough, and it would be awkward to say no, so they end up sharing a table right by the glass wall overlooking the hotel’s courtyard.

“So where are you from?” Dave asks. He dips a tea bag into his mug and takes a sip without adding sugar.

“New York,” Sonny says. “We’re on our way to visit Rafael’s family in Miami.”

“Ahh, Miami’s a beautiful city. I’ve been there a couple times on business trips.”

Sonny nods. He looks over at Rafael, who looks back and gives an _“I guess this is happening”_ shrug.

“Have you met Rafael’s family before?” Dave asks. “Or is this a whole _thing?_ ”

“I’ve met his mother. She lives in New York. But this is the first time I’ll be meeting the rest of his family.”

“Big step.”

“Yeah, I guess.” Sonny had been trying not to think about it. His nervousness must show in his face, because Rafael reaches over and squeezes his hand. His palm is warm from pressing against his coffee mug.

“I was terrified when I met Elliot’s family for the first time.” Dave rests his chin on his hand and smiles at his husband. “I hit it off pretty well with his parents, but the rest of his family lives in Vietnam, and we flew over one summer to stay for a couple weeks. God, I had no idea what to expect. Plus, I was in a new country and I didn’t speak the language, which made it even worse.”

“Oh, that reminds me,” Rafael says. “We mostly speak Spanish at home. I’ll ask them to use English while you’re around, but they’ll definitely be talking about you in Spanish behind your back.”

Sonny snorts. “Thanks babe, that's comforting.”

 

\---

 

After the initial awkwardness of meeting, they find themselves slipping into friendly and comfortable conversation. They linger once they’re finished eating, nursing coffee and tea and sharing “how we met” stories and “first date” stories.

When Rafael mentions that he’s an ADA, Dave’s eyes light up. He proudly says that his father was the first Black partner at his law firm, and he asks about Rafael’s cases, clearly expecting very exciting things from someone who works in New York. Rafael is happy to share, and Sonny smiles, watching him show off.

“How long have you two been together?” Elliot asks, quietly so as not to disturb the others.

“About two years,” Sonny says. “You?”

“Twenty-five years together, twenty-three years married.  Well, not _legally_.  It wasn't legal back then.  But we had our own ceremony and made it legal when we could.”

“Wow.  That's a long time.”

“Yeah, but it flies by. And I wouldn’t trade a day of it for the world.”

Sonny nods. His eyes are drawn to Elliot’s wedding ring. It’s a sleek silver color. Possibly white gold. There’s a pale pink stone set in the middle.

“Have you talked about it?” Elliot asks.

“What?” Elliot smiles and wiggles his ring finger. “Oh, uh. No.” Sonny blushes. “Not yet.”

“But you want to.”

“Yeah. And I’m pretty sure we’re on the same page. Just—neither of us have brought it up.”

Elliot nods. “It’s kind of nerve-wracking, I know. I was the one to bring it up with Dave. I didn’t put much thought into it, it just came out of my mouth. But I’m glad I did. I’ll never forget the look he gave me. Like I’d answered every one of his prayers.” Elliot smiles and looks over at his husband. “And that wasn’t even the proposal.”

Dave cuts himself off in the middle of his story and returns Elliot’s look.

“What?” he asks. “You guys talking about us?”

“No honey, you keep doing what you’re doing.”

Sonny meets Rafael’s eyes and smiles.

 

\---

 

**1:30pm**  
**August 9th**

 

They leave the hotel in late morning. Sonny rolls down the windows and lets the car flood with warm summer air. Driving doesn’t seem so bad now—mostly because they’re almost there, but also because the weather is incredible. The sun is out, but it’s not too hot. The sky is the clearest blue he’s ever seen, and there are only faint wisps of clouds in the distance.

They stop for lunch about two and a half hours in. They’re so close to the coast that Sonny takes a random off-ramp and relies on the GPS to find them a good restaurant near the water. Rafael puts on his sunglasses and smiles when he sees the ocean. He takes Sonny’s hand and doesn’t let go until they’re seated.

The restaurant specializes in seafood, and Sonny ends up getting the blue crab, because their server brags that it was caught locally just this morning. It’s delicious. Sonny savors each forkful as he looks out towards the waves.

“This is nice,” Rafael says.

“That’s kind of an understatement, but yeah.” Rafael chuckles, and Sonny smiles at him. He watches as Rafael scoops up another forkful of rice.

“You were right,” Rafael continues. “I think we should do a vacation like this every summer.”

“Planning our future?” Sonny asks.

Rafael doesn’t reply, but his leg brushes against Sonny’s under the table. He’s still smiling. Sonny doesn’t think he’s ever seen Rafael smile this much.

“I’d like that,” Sonny says. He feels so ridiculously happy. This is perfect. He wants to ask Rafael now, but before he can say anything, their server comes back with the check. He’ll ask in the car. Once they get back on the highway, he’ll ask.

 

\---

 

**2:30pm**  
**August 9th**

Sonny completely forgets when they get back on the highway. First he was focused on directions, then he was focused on merging into the lane without speeding cars slamming into him. Now, he’s distracted by the weather again. It’s so fucking bright here, how can anyone see without sunglasses?

“Dave and Elliot were nice,” Rafael says, apropos of nothing.

“Yeah. It was cool meeting them.”

Rafael is quiet for a moment, then says,

“I don’t know if you heard, but Dave told me that they’ve been together for twenty-five years.”

Okay, now Sonny’s suspicious. Rafael’s voice is light, like he’s trying too hard to sound casual. Sonny narrows his eyes.

“They were dating for two years before they got engaged.”

“Oh no,” Sonny says, taking the hint. “No, you’re not doing this.”

“Not doing what?”

“You’re trying to ask if I want us to get married, but you’re not _going_ to ask, because _I’m_ going to be the one to ask. I’ve been trying to ask you this for the past two days!”

“Well what’s taking you so long?”

“It’s scary!”

Rafael laughs quietly. “I’m still waiting.”

Sonny sighs, every worry suddenly gone. “Rafael? Do you think we should get married?”

“Ehhh....I don’t know....”

Sonny reaches over to whack him, but Rafael catches his arm and kisses the palm of his hand.

“Yes,” he says. “Yes, I think we should get married. We’ve been together for a while, we’ve lived together without killing each other—”

“Wow, the bar is so low.”

“And I _want_ to marry you. Do you want to marry me?”

“Yeah. Definitely.”

“Alright. Anytime you’re ready then. I should mention: I’m kind of hoping you’ll do the asking.”

“Oh, I _want_ to do the asking.”

“Good. Just don’t make it anything too public. I mean— _in_ public is fine, I just don’t want to be gawked at.”

“I won’t let anyone gawk at you.”

“Good. Also, I prefer white gold to yellow gold and my ring size is nine.”

“Raf, I haven’t proposed yet.”

“I’m just making sure you’re prepared for when you do.”

Sonny shakes his head.

 

\---

 

Miami is gorgeous—sunny and colorful and lively and at times there are way too many people in the street and not on the sidewalk where pedestrians _should_ be, but Sonny forgives them. Rafael gives him directions, telling him when to turn and what shortcuts to take. When they get closer to his family’s neighborhood, he points out familiar places—the elementary school that his cousins attended, the laundromat they had to use one summer when his aunt’s washer broke. The corner store where they went to get sodas when his other aunt banned soda from the house during one of her health-food kicks.

They turn onto a residential street, and somehow, Sonny knows this is it.

“It’s that one to the right, at the end of the cul-de-sac,” Rafael says. “You can block in the car, it doesn’t run. Ben says he’s going to fix it one day, but it’s been over a year and that day still hasn’t come.”

Sonny pulls into the driveway. He sees a young girl look out the window, then run away. He starts to get nervous.

When Sonny turns off the car, neither of them make a move to get out. Sonny takes a deep breath, and Rafael turns to him, taking Sonny’s hand, which is still gripping the steering wheel.

“It’s going to be fine,” he says. “They’re going to love you.”

Sonny gives a nervous laugh. “Yeah. Okay.”

“Look at me.” Sonny does, and Rafael looks him in the eyes and squeezes his hand. “They know I’m gay. They know I’m bringing you. They know we’re living together. No part of this is going to be a surprise to them.”

“Okay. That’s good, I guess.”

“It _is_ good. And you’re great at meeting people. You’re a good conversationalist, you’re kind and thoughtful, and you even know how to handle kids.”

“Okay....tell me more about how great I am?”

Rafael snorts. He leans in to give Sonny a chaste kiss, which is lovely, but marred somewhat by a nearby shriek of “THEY’RE KISSING!” from the same girl he had seen at the window.

Rafael groans. “That’s our cue.” He gives Sonny’s hand another squeeze. “It’s going to be fine. And whatever happens, I love you, and I want to marry you. Okay?”

Sonny smiles. “Yeah. Thank you.”

Rafael lets go of his hand and slips his phone into his pocket. “Alright, it’s only a matter of time before everyone comes streaming out the front door to meet us. Ready?”

Sonny nods. “Ready.” He opens the door and steps out into the sun.

 

\---

**Author's Note:**

> i swear to god that "I ♥ Dix" shirt is real, but apparently it took me so long to write this fic that by the time i finished, it had completely disappeared from the website....


End file.
